Christmas Day ? Presents | Anjuna Beach With Goa Outreach Children | Merry Christmas | Christmas Day | Christmas Present Sorting | Christmas - Just a week away | Celebrating a Marriage

Christmas day was our second 'Christmas' party and it was our smaller children's turn. The children had already been given a small present from Purple Martini in the morning and it was time for gifts at the centre.

The young ones love theatrics so Robert put on the iconic suit and peeked around the corner to an excited group of children who were waiting patiently for their gifts...

'Santa' towered over the young ones and reached into the huge box of presents at the back of the room and brought out a bag filled with presents for each child. Here are just a few photos from Christmas Afternoon at the centre.

After a lovely meal at Purple Martini, we had enough time to visit the local beach, just a 5 minute walk from the restaurant was a mix of sand and stony beach that saw the children's faces light up and had them making the most of the lovely weather.

Purple Martini at Sunset Point, Goa very kindly invited us back for a wonderful Christmas Meal and presents on Christmas Morning. The children were very excited to go out for a trip after such a long time. Purple Martini invited 50 of our youngest children to attend a Christmas meal and were asked what they would like as a small Christmas gift, watches were a favourite for both boys and girls with makeup sets and toy cars high on the list.

As previously the food and service were great -

Thank you to everyone who helped out on the day and made it a great outing for the children. After we finished the young ones were treated to a trip to Anjuna Beach where they splashed around and checked out the little rock pools swarming with aquatic life.

To Celebrate Christmas with the older school children we took them to the beach for a splash around. The beach was nearly empty when we arrived, with just two or 3 couples as far as the eye could see.

The beach trip was just part of their Christmas celebration, which ended with the children coming to the centre and collecting their handfuls of presents (those photos later). As you would expect the children loved playing in the water.

Thank you to Amina and her mother for cooking some lovely Chicken Biriyani for lunch, there were lots and it was so good! Lila also joined us with some games and kites (photos later) which was a nice surprise.

It has been so busy the last month choosing gifts with the children and then late nights wrapping them all. To date Robert has wrapped over 500 presents and time is quickly running out. Today we planned to do a check to make sure we have all the ones listed and sorted them into small piles for each child. Its not the best picture but will give you an idea of the size of the task. Thank you to Papa, Devappa, Narendra, Amina, Savita, Gouri and Harshada for helping out this afternoon (They are still sorting as I type this). Merry Christmas to everyone - a special thank you to everyone who has supported us this year, lets hope 2021 is a little brighter for everyone.

Christmas is just a week away and it's a little bit stressful here trying to plan everything so the kids have a fantastic day(s). So far we have wrapped most of the presents almost 500 are ready, the Christmas tree is up, with a few decorations and lights to brighten up the centre. One party is nearly organised (the small ones) - its a secret so can't tell anything yet, and still no plans for the other two parties, but I am hoping things will get sorted in time... Just need to find a Christmas collection to really get me in the mood. Hope everyone stays safe over the festive period - Merry Christmas!

Thank you and congratulations to Sunil and his bride on their recent marriage. They generously brought a box of around 50 Laddu Sweet Balls for the children.

Laddu or laddoo is a sphere-shaped sweet originating from the Indian subcontinent. Laddus are primarily made from flour, fat (ghee/butter/oil), and sugar. Laddus are often made of gram flour but can also be made with semolina. Sometimes ingredients such as chopped nuts and/or dried raisins are also added. The type of ingredients used may vary by recipe.

Laddus are often served during festive or religious occasions.

We wish Sunil and his wife a happy and safe life ahead of them.